Musings and Snippets from a recently retired JP. I served for 31 years, mostly in west London. I was Chairman of my Bench for some years, and a member of the National Bench Chairmen's Forum All cases are based on real ones, but anonymised and composited. All opinions are those of one or more individuals. JPs swear to enforce the law of the land, whether or not they approve of it. Nothing on here constitutes legal advice.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Dead Duck

It looks as if Ken Clarke's plan to bring in 50% sentence discounts for early guilty pleas has bitten the dust. I can fully accept the benefits of reducing stress on victims and witnesses, because an appearance in court can be a gruelling experience, even for the witness who is not on trial, and the reduction in prisoner numbers would have provided welcome cash savings, but this is one reform that the public isn't having, if my wholly unscientific opinion sampling in the pub is anything to go by. As I have written before relatively few prisoners were sent inside by magistrates, our effective maximum sentence being just a matter of a few weeks. I sit fairly often, but it is quite uncommon to have to pronounce an immediate prison sentence.The real scandal in our crammed prisons is twofold; the substantial proportion of inadequate, mentally disturbed and/or addicted prisoners who are really a healthcare rather than a justice problem, and above all the disgracefully misconceived IPP sentences that have swollen prisoner numbers in a callous and unplanned way.

What The Papers Said

40 Bloggers That Really Count (Times)There are 30,000 or so unpaid magistrates across England and Wales. For five years, one of them has anonymously detailed the cut and thrust of the job, providing a grimly funny insight into Britain’s sinful underbelly with the same feel and tone as a Hogarth or Dickens.